§ 1. Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what conclusions his Department has drawn from the last census. [609]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Mr. John Horam)Census information, along with other information, helps us to monitor the nation's health. I am glad to tell my hon. Friend that the underlying trend continues to improve.
§ Mr. FieldDoes my hon. Friend agree that the census shows without any shadow of a doubt that people are living longer, healthier and more fulfilled lives? Is that not the true testament to the reforms that we have introduced in the national health service, as opposed to the myths peddled by the quack doctors of the Opposition?
§ Mr. HoramI entirely agree with my hon. Friend and I am delighted to tell him that, standardised for age, the 1018 health of people in the Isle of Wight is significantly better than that of the rest of us. Is there something special about the Isle of Wight?
§ Mr. BarronI wonder whether the Minister and the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Field) are reading from some census other than the one that was carried out in this country. We know from that census, for example, that people in poor housing use the national health service 50 per cent. more than the average, adding about £2 billion a year to our NHS bill; that deaths from coronary heart disease among women from the Indian sub-continent are up to 45 per cent. higher than the national average; and that people in lower socio-economic groups can expect to die eight years sooner than the most privileged.
The growing gap between rich and poor is leading to growing inequalities in health; to tackle that problem we must tackle the underlying causes of poverty, which the census clearly shows to be increasing. We and the people want to know what action the Government intend to take cross-departmentally about the increase in poverty and the consequential health inequalities.
§ Mr. HoramI am quite surprised at the hon. Gentleman; he is the one surviving member of the Labour health team from before the summer, so I should have thought that he would have more knowledge than the rest. He ought to know that the census is one of the items included in the capitation formula that decides the amount of money that goes to every health authority in the country. The formula is adjusted year by year to take into account exactly the sort of factors that he is talking about. I am surprised at him, because I thought that he was better briefed.
§ Mr. David NicholsonAll Government Members will support the Secretary of State in his efforts to secure resources to treat the growing numbers of people requiring health care, but does the Minister recognise that concern about bureaucracy, form filling and paper pushing in hospitals and NHS trusts is not confined to the Opposition Benches but is felt just as strongly on our side? If hospitals and trusts give priority to patient care rather than to form filling and paper pushing over the coming months, they will have the vigorous support of their Members of Parliament.
§ Mr. HoramThat is precisely why my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State put together a package worth £300 million, which is designed to do away with such excessive bureaucracy and form filling. The money will go directly to patient care.